#lophonetta

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[2755/11080] Crested duck - Lophonetta specularioides

Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae (ducks, geese and swans) Subfamily: Anatinae

Photo credit: George Armistead via Macaulay Library

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Lophonetta specularioides

By Tony Castro, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Name: Lophonetta specularioides 

Status: Extant

First Described: 1914 

Described By: Riley 

Classification: Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Galloanserae, Anseriformes, Anseres, Anatoidea, Anatidae, Anatinae 

Lophonetta, the Crested Duck, is a non-threatened duck native to South America, sometimes lumped into Anas, but it seems to have diverged significantly earlier than the other dabbling ducks, warranting its own genus. It’s a medium sized duck, with males only reaching about a kilogram. The males and the females look fairly similar, with mottled brown feathers and brown tops of their heads. They live primarily in Peru to central Chile, around the Andes mountains, even in high altitudes. They don’t live in large flocks, but rather only when there’s high food amounts, otherwise they live mostly in pairs. They nest throughout the year, though primarily in the summer. They incubate the eggs for about a month, while the males help raise the ducks after hatching. They are also monogamous ducks that work together extensively during raising the chicks. They dabble in water to sieve through mud to find invertebrates such as zooplankton, clams, and even plants such as kelp. It is one of the most common ducks found in the Tierra del Fuego. 

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Source: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crested_duck